Disclosed herein is a structure for mounting an occupant protection system in a vehicle. The structure includes an electric power steering device (1) and a knee protection air bag assembly (51). The device (1) includes a steering column (18). The assembly (51) includes a bag (53) configured to expand to protect knees (9a) of an occupant (9) seated on a driver's seat (8) of the vehicle. The steering column (18) includes a drive member (26) of the device (1). The assembly (51) is located below the drive member (26).

A vehicle occupant restraint system comprises an airbag module (12) which includes an airbag (16) as well as an inflator (18) which upon activation supplies filling gas for the airbag (16). The airbag (16) is folded prior to activation into an airbag package (14) so that a main package (48) which contains a restraint part (52) of the airbag (16) constituting a major part of the airbag volume as well as a connecting portion (50) is formed which comprises a neck (54) of the airbag (16) connecting the restraint part (52) to the inflator (18), wherein the restraint part (52) is folded differently from the neck (54).

A knee airbag unit (10) of a vehicle occupant restraint system of a motor vehicle is described. The knee airbag unit (10) comprises an airbag module (12), which has a module holder (14), a gas generator (16) and a flexible, non-inherently rigid module housing (18) that at least partially surrounds the gas generator (16) and the airbag in the untriggered state, wherein the gas generator (16), the airbag and the flexible module housing (18) are fastened to the module holder (14). Also provided is a cover (20) forming a module covering and defining an outer side in the installed state of the knee airbag unit (10), which is connected to the airbag module (12). Furthermore, there is an edge-side means (26) securing the cover (20) against lowering, originating from the module holder (14).

The invention describes a vehicle occupant restraint system (2) comprising a control unit and at least two restraint elements (8, 10) for the protection of lower extremities (6, 6′, 7, 7′) in the area of a footwell (4) of a vehicle of a vehicle occupant seated in a particular vehicle seat of the vehicle, wherein a first restraint element (8) is configured as a knee airbag module (12), wherein a second restraint element (10) is provided for mounting into the footwell (4) of the vehicle, especially in an area of the footwell (4) of the vehicle arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) ahead of the knee airbag module (12), wherein, in a situation of restraint, the control unit can differentiate between different given situations, wherein the given situation can be determined via a vehicle seat position and parameters relating to vehicle occupants, wherein, in the situation of restraint, when a situation is given in which the vehicle seat (5) is in a position shifted backwards, especially in a position shifted backwards compared to the standard position, and the vehicle occupant is a short and/or light person, the control unit only activates the foot airbag module (16) of the second restraint element (10).

The invention describes a vehicle occupant restraint system (2) comprising a control unit and at least two restraint elements (8, 10) for the protection of lower extremities (6, 6′, 7, 7′) in the area of a footwell (4) of a vehicle of a vehicle occupant seated in a particular vehicle seat of the vehicle, wherein a first restraint element (8) is configured as a knee airbag module (12), wherein a second restraint element (10) is provided for mounting into the footwell (4) of the vehicle, especially in an area of the footwell (4) of the vehicle arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) ahead of the knee airbag module (12), wherein, in a situation of restraint, the control unit can differentiate between different situations, wherein the control unit, in the situation of restraint, activates at least the first restraint element (8) and, depending on the given situation, additionally activates the second restraint element (10) and/or a partial element of the first restraint element (8) and/or a partial element of the second restraint element (10).

A knee airbag is proposed. The knee airbag is configured to be applied to a slim-type cockpit design and to quickly restrain the knees of an occupant without increasing a package of an airbag cushion to reduce a risk of injuries to the occupant. The knee airbag includes an airbag housing provided at a lower end of a cockpit, and including an airbag cushion located toward an occupant, a cover assembled to the airbag housing in a shape of covering the airbag cushion, wherein in deployment of the airbag cushion, a lower portion of the cover is fixed to the airbag housing and an upper portion thereof is separated and opened from the airbag housing, and an opening limiting unit configured to limit an opening degree of the upper portion of the cover.

A knee air bag reduces an injury to occupant's legs by employing a slim crash pad design. The air bag includes a first cushion that is deployed from an inner side of a crash pad toward an occupant to fill a space below the crash pad and a second cushion that is deployed between the first cushion and the occupant to support occupant's legs while being supported on the first cushion.

A knee bolster of a glove box for a vehicle is provided. The knee bolster of a glove box increases the stiffness of the front surface of the glove box with which the knees of a passenger may collide when a vehicle collision occurs, and thus restrains the knees of the passenger from rushing into the glove box. The knee bolster of a glove box for a vehicle can reduce the weight of the knee bolster, the production cost thereof, and a number of manufacturing processes compared to the conventional knee bolster for passenger seats.

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic-molded front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. The pleated baffle forms a plurality of at least five vent openings including at least one stress relief vent juxtaposed to a peak stress region of the hot weld seam and a plurality of tuning vents which are concentrated at a lowest restraint-force region of the inflatable bladder.

The present disclosure relates to a method performed by an occupant protection system of a vehicle for supporting protection of a vehicle occupant in the event of an ongoing or imminent collision. The occupant protection system comprises an airbag panel arrangement arranged in connection with a dashboard of the vehicle, which airbag panel arrangement comprises an inflatable airbag adapted to upon deployment protect lower body parts of a vehicle occupant seated in a vehicle seat facing the dashboard. The occupant protection system determines a distance in a predeterminable direction between the airbag panel arrangement or the dashboard and the vehicle seat or an occupant seated in the vehicle seat; determines that the distance exceeds a predeterminable maximum threshold value; determines that one or more conditions for deployment of the airbag is fulfilled; and displaces the airbag panel arrangement outwardly from the dashboard by means of a panel displacing system.